Introducing Q-Bert the Samsung Q1U-V

I have been saving up for some time to purchase a UMPC and finally was able to afford the new Samsung Q1U-V.

I purchased it from Costco.com so I could get the extra 2 year warranty as well as the 90 day no question return policy.

6 days after I ordered the Q1U it arrived on my door step unannounced. Costco's shipping notification feature didn't work well and never showed it was updated until the day after it arrived.

  I unboxed it as soon as I got the box off the front porch and the digital camera with fresh batteries.

It came with"Getting Started Guide", "Samsung Recovery Solution II/ Reinstallation Windows Vista", and "Safety Instructions" Documents, Restore DVD's, wrist strap which is also used as a hand strap when connected to the back of the Q1U, battery, transfer USB cable, soft case, and the power adapter.

 The Q1U fits in my hands nicely and is not heavy. Its been a interesting experience in learning how to use the split keyboard on the unit. My fingers are on the large side and I have to type with the side tips of my thumbs. Instead of using the onscreen keyboard I'm practicing typing in my password with the split keyboard each and every time. I'm getting better and I must say I will be able to type with it for small messages.

I started it up. Immediately I filled out all of the new user information that Microsoft asks for and then Samsung's backup/restore program made the primary backup copy and then I was able to name the computer. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you... Q-Bert.

Q-Bert started off running really slow. Everything I did took a while. I felt like I was working on a 486 again with Windows 98.

Here are the things I did to improve the performance:

1. Removed McAfee. This improved the performance immensely. McAfee with all its add-ons just dragged the system to a halt at times. I installs AVG Free to replace this.

2. Went to the System Properties; Advance tab; the clicked on the Performance Settings button. I changed the setting to "Adjust for best performance." All of the Vista views disappeared and it went back to a XP view. No more Aero. I like Vista icons so I went to Control Panel; Appearance Settings and change the Color Scheme to Windows Vista Basic.  Wow did this change make a difference.

At this point the system was running really well. But I still wanted to improve it and I went out and bought a 4gb SD Card x133 speed. I installed this to use with ReadyBoost. Although this made the system more smooth when working with large applications like MindManager and large OneNote files, the system actually ran really well without it.

Something else I found out is a little disconcerting. The localization was set to the UK. I had to change all localization settings to the US. It makes me wonder if this unit has been in someone else hands.

With this I could start to copy over my files and install the needed applications. Ms Office 2007 Enterprise, Ms Project 2007, MindManager 7.0, Alcohol 52%, Skype, Divx, iTunes, Joost (still questionable if this is going to stay), Sprint Broadband Software, Firefox and some other utilities.

I have set it up to connect via Bluetooth to my Sanyo 8400 Cell phone where I have service with Sprint. I am able to connect to the Internet via the EV-DO service. I know Bluetooth is a little slower then the USB, but to connect wirelessly is wonderful. And that its all you can eat without issue, unlike those other services. :)

I've really enjoined this today while at Fry's. I was buying another 4gb SD Card and was looking for the right one for ReadyBoost. Anyone that has ever visited Fry's knows what excellent customer service they have. When I asked which SD Card was best for ReadyBoost, I got the look. Ya know, deer in the head lights look. So I pulled out Q-Bert while the Customer Service Rep sat there thinking and muttering something about "Yeah, I heard about that. Who makes it?" Powered up the Internet and did a little searching. I found what I needed and went right over to the counter and pulled the card I wanted.  This alone was worth the whole cost of Q-Bert.

As I'm typing about this being mobile, I want to tell you about the neat little carrying case that I tote Q-Bert around in.

A couple of years ago my wife went to Alaska (before I knew her) and she took this great little bag that held all her doohickeys in it. (Yes it was a purse.)

Its a Xhilaration bag. It has the right amount of pockets in a canvas form. She was no longer using it and I saw that it looked close enough like a Utility bag and repurposed it for UMPC carrying.

 

 

Any questions, leave a comment.  

del.icio.us tags: Samsung Q1u, Costco, UMPC, Vista, Microsoft, AVG, McAfee, ReadyBoost, Xhilaration, Customer Service, Fry's, EV-DO, Bluetooth, Sanyo 8400, Sprint